The invention is applicable to a number of kitchen implements which are used in contact with foods and especially foods contained within non-stick coated vessels. For example, whisks, pastry blenders, and potato mashers are often constructed of stainless steel wires attached to a handle. The wires in contact with the food and with the interior of a bowl or vessel can abrade the non-stick coating, interior coating or finish. Although, the present description relates primarily to a whisk, it will be understood that any kitchen implement constructed of wire, where the wires are used in contact with the food itself, can benefit from application of the invention.
A whisk is a common kitchen utensil, that is used for hand beating of food preparations such as eggs, creams, oils, sauces, cooked vegetables etc. A metal whisk is usually fabricated from a number of loops of wire that are retained in a handle. The whisk handle is grasped and the whisk wires are moved in a closed circular path to beat the food preparation mixing, blending, smoothing and entraining air.
Stainless steel wire loops are generally preferred as whisking elements due to their superior strength, durability and resilient whipping action, as well as ease of cleaning and simple fabrication. The whisk can have a very long service life since the metal whisk loops rarely break, wear or corrode. However, with the introduction of non-stick coatings, porcelain cooking pots, glazed finishes and other susceptible coatings, traditional metal wire whisks can result in damage due to the abrasion or impact of the metal whisk loops against the interior of the bowl causing scratches, chips, removal of the relatively soft coating, or breakdown of the interior surface of the vessel. Plastic whisks or wooden whisks are much less durable than a metal whisk loop and tend to break apart or absorb moisture which is highly undesirable and unsanitary. Plastic coated metal whisk loops are prone to wear away or melt under extreme heat. Plastic utensils also lack the durability and reliability necessary for commercial adoption. A broken whisk element or other part of a broken utensil found in food is very undesirable and damaging to the reputation of a restaurant. Especially in a commercial environment, kitchen utensils that are unreliable will be quickly discarded and professional cooks are very hesitant to experiment with new materials that may result in a decrease in productivity or reduce food quality in any way.
Common configurations of whisks include a so-called French whisk which has relatively heavy wires in a teardrop shape with ends secured in a handle. A French whisk is used for heavy consistency materials such as batters, thick sauces or for mashing cooked vegetables. A balloon whisk has a wire loop configuration with a generally spherical end used for aerating light foamy mixtures such as egg whites, souffles, meringues, or whipped cream where additional air is required to ensure the quality of food preparation. A flat or roux whisk comprises teardrop shaped loops in a flat configuration which is used for de-glazing pans, mixing roux in a flat pan or for gently folding in cream two mixtures. Further, a Swedish style or helical wire whisk comprises a loop of relatively heavy wire having thinner loop of wire wrapped in a helical pattern around the heavy wire.
Whisk loops of any of the above common configurations are permanently formed and securely attached to the whisk handle. Due to rugged construction, the whisk loops of resilient stainless steel are generally unbreakable in regular use situations.
Unfortunately, however use of a metal wire whisk in a Teflon or non-stick coated bowl, or a ceramic bowl can result in significant damage to the bowl finish while the whisk remains undamaged.
Apart from durability, most cooks prefer to use a wire whisk since it produces a superior result in less time than the alternatives currently available such as plastic loop whisks.
It is an object of the invention to provide a whisk or other kitchen utensil which combines the superior productivity and reliability of a wire loop whisk with the desirable properties of low abrasion for use in association with non-stick coatings.
Further objects of the invention will be apparent from review of the disclosure and description of the invention below.